NJDOT planning Route 22 makeover through Somerset and Hunterdon counties
The New Jersey Department of Transportation is starting to plan the long-awaited project to close a majority of the median crossings on Route 22 between Branchburg and Clinton Township.
Eliminating the crossovers on the busy highway has been a priority for local officials along the 11-mile stretch of four-lane highway in Branchburg, Readington, Lebanon Borough and Clinton Township. They have pressed the DOT for years to make changes to the crossovers because of safety concerns and increased traffic caused by new development.
According to the DOT, there are 38 unsignalized median openings between Station Road in Branchburg and the Exxon facility in Clinton Township where Route 22 joins Interstate 78.
The state, at this point in the preliminary planning, proposes to close 22 of the crossovers, modify 11 crossovers, add four traffic signals and one pedestrian signal. One crossover will remain the same.
The estimated cost of the project is $8.37 million with no date yet for construction or completion. Preliminary engineering is tentatively set to begin this summer.
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According to the DOT, there were 710 crashes on that stretch of the highway between 2016 and 2018.
Of that total, 274 crashes, or 40%, occurred at the crossovers.
In the entire corridor between 2016 and 2018, there were three fatalities and 164 injuries, 45 of them being severe or moderate.
Of the crashes at the median, 22% were rear-end collisions, 18% were sideswipes and 18% were angle crashes.
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At least two new traffic signals are planned on westbound Route 22 – one east of Polar Club in Readington and the other east of the westerly intersection with Main Street in Lebanon Borough.
Some crossovers will be modified to handle only one-way traffic.
For example, at the intersection of Lake Drive and Route 22 in Readington by Bishop's Plaza, the median crossover will be eliminated and the crossovers to the east and west will be changed to one-way. Traffic leaving the shopping center and wanting to go west toward Clinton would have to go east to a U-turn, and traffic westbound on Route 22 would have to drive by the shopping center to a U-turn then drive east to the shopping center.
Residential development is accelerating in the corridor with apartment communities being built in Branchburg and projects approved in Readington and Lebanon Borough.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJDOT planning Route 22 makeover through Somerset, Hunterdon
